About

Our family grew up riding bikes. We used to clip playing cards into the back spokes to make an exhaust sound, but they always ripped or fell off. We knew we could design something better. So we created Spokester.

Spokester is the perfect toy. It's simple, inexpensive, and durable. It promotes exercise and cultivates imagination by continuing the timeless tradition that many kids have shared: pretending bikes are motorcycles.

With a lot of trial and error we figured out the best way to improve on the old clothespins and playing cards trick, and we eventually created a beautiful and elegant design. It easily snaps on to the front fork of your bicycle. The paddle hits the spokes as they pass by to simulate the sound of a motorcycle. It has no moving parts, needs no special installation, and our tests show that it lasts for more than 200 miles of riding!

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ALL of our backers (including the $1 pledges) will receive a link to download a template and how-to guide to make your own Spokester our of card stock at home. Use it to entertain yourself while we do the hard work of manufacturing and delivering the real thing!

Big, bold, and weather resistant! This sticker will look fantastic on your helmet, your bike, or your face. The choice is yours.

The main attraction. Snap a couple of these bad boys on to your bike and you'll have the neighbors jealous faster than you can go zero to 60.

Represent Spokester and bicycle safety with this high quality American Apparel t-shirt!

Done in the style of the old Works Progress Administration national parks posters, this 18x24" screen print will look fantastic framed on your wall.

Host your own bike rodeo with our party kit. Whether you're throwing a birthday party or a neighborhood bike safety clinic, we've done the hard prep work for you.

Includes 10 Spokesters and 10 stickers for you to give out as party favors or prizes, 10 bike safety rules cards, sidewalk chalk, traffic cones, and flags to mark off your obstacle course, red plates and cups, and 2 Spokester tees for you and your assistant. We've also created a how-to guide so you know exactly how to set up a proper obstacle course!

Step it up to the next level with one of our professionally painted bikes. Make sure everyone knows that you helped to create an iconic kids' toy, made entirely in the U.S.A. with this red white and blue mountain bike!

The Spokester fits every kid's bike we've tried it on, and we've tried it onto lots of bikes. It's not designed for road bikes, so adult bikes should consult the chart below to see if there will be a problem. General rule of thumb: if it's a kid's bike, or a mountain bike of any size, it'll fit.

The freedom a kid has on a bicycle can't be overstated. Our family grew up racing around the neighborhood, building trails and dirt ramps in the woods, and exploring the surrounding area in ways that would have been completely impossible without two wheels and some pedals.

So we set out to take one of our oldest childhood memories and make it into something awesome for the next generation of kids.

When we originally created Spokester, we only had the money to create a simple, single-cavity mold. However, this allowed us to figure out a lot of important things about the production process, like which type of plastic is the most durable and makes the best sound, how long to cure each part, and which colors are the most popular.

We believe in the skill and heart of the American worker. We don't like that so much of once home-grown manufacturing has moved overseas to countries that will sacrifice human safety and dignity for a larger profit margin. From the get-go, we've pledged to keep the Spokester a home-grown American product, from ownership all the way through to manufacturing.

We believe in responsible manufacturing, and we're looking into tools and techniques to produce our products sustainably and in an environmentally conscientious manner.

We believe that something important about childhood has been lost to video games and iPhones, and seek to create something that will encourage kids to get outside and exercising, while helping to engage the imagination, so they can experience some of the joys of the roaming outdoor childhoods we had.

Now we are ready to move into full production. Unfortunately, the tools necessary to bring the cost down and make an economically viable product are very expensive. So we are reaching out to the Kickstarter community!

Join us as we bring this awesome toy to market. Please back our project and help us give kids everywhere a reason to get outside and use their imagination!

July/August: Make a lot of new Kickstarter friends, select final mold production facility and manufacturing facility.

September: Finalize the new mold design and place the tooling orders.

October: Tooling build-out and procurement of raw materials and components.

Risks and challenges

In a perfect world production and fulfillment of a product like Spokester would be quick and effortless. However, manufacturing remains a complex process which can be upended by any number of factors. We're aware of the potential for delay and have built time into our schedule to account for any issues.

MOLD PRODUCTION
We've selected a mold manufacturer based on their prior reliability and timeliness, but situations can always arise when dealing with large suppliers. In the event of a significant delay, we've lined up other mold suppliers as a fallback option.

PRODUCTION
Sometimes a machine breaks down, a shipment gets lost, or quality isn't up to our standards. These things can't be planned for, so we've been careful to choose a reliable manufacturer and line up advisers who can guide us in the right direction if the need arises.

FULFILLMENT
Shipping to a worldwide audience carries with it some logistical issues, so we've lined up a suite of shipping solutions that will help to coordinate and fulfill in a timely manner.

Every pledge brings us closer to our goal. Make Spokester a household name by clicking the "BACK THIS PROJECT" button at the top of the page, and spread the word by sharing this page with your friends.